Last Gun Alchemist

Chapter 288: Orientation Week V

Kent continued leading the first-year students through the academy grounds, while Karla walked quietly beside him with a notebook held against her chest. Although she looked calmer now, there was still a trace of nervousness whenever she glanced back at the crowd following behind them.

The students naturally formed groups as they walked.

Many of the ordinary nobles and non-nobles mingled freely, chatting with students from different families as they admired the scenery around them. Laughter rose from one group after another, making the academy pathways feel lively.

As for the high-status students...

Most remained within the circles of their own families or allied houses.

Even so, they weren’t walking alone.

Quite a number of students had naturally gathered around them, following a few steps behind with admiration shining in their eyes.

Selena, as always, remained surrounded by a large group of female students.

Some were simply admirers.

Others belonged to House Galehart. They proudly walked behind their Young Lady while occasionally introducing her accomplishments to the students around them.

Not far away...

A young man from House Galehart walked with both hands tucked comfortably inside his pockets.

Confidence naturally flowed from his posture.

Several boys from House Galehart followed behind him together with students from houses allied to Galehart.

The group laughed from time to time, discussing something that clearly amused them.

The same could be seen around Sasha and Ravenor.

Students gathered around both of them almost naturally.

Several boys from House Burnwick even positioned themselves around Ravenor without anyone instructing them to do so.

From a distance...

They looked more like bodyguards than classmates.

The Third Princess also attracted plenty of attention.

Several noble boys and girls walked close to her while maintaining respectful distance, almost as though they had silently accepted the role of her personal escorts.

Beside her...

The Young Heir of House Casper calmly matched her pace.

The two occasionally exchanged light conversation before quietly laughing together while admiring the academy scenery.

Not far behind them...

Veda also found himself surrounded by students.

Unlike the others...

Many of the students following him weren’t simply attracted by his noble status.

They admired his story.

Throughout Britannia’s noble and high-class society...

Almost everyone had heard how Veda had once been treated as the "trash" of House Ashenlocke.

Now...

He stood as the Young Lord of the very same family.

For students who had also grown up slightly overlooked by their own families...

Veda represented hope.

They followed him with sincere admiration and respect.

The students from House Bergwyn and House Ashenlocke gradually mixed together into one larger group.

The reason was simple.

Vera and Diane were quietly walking side by side.

Zack and Nina naturally followed several steps behind the two girls.

Meanwhile...

Several members of House Bergwyn respectfully surrounded one of their Mainline heirs, maintaining enough distance to avoid disturbing Diane while remaining close enough to protect her if necessary.

Ezra quietly walked several steps behind Veda’s group.

He could clearly feel numerous gazes drifting toward him from different directions.

Occasionally...

Soft whispers reached his ears.

"That’s the inventor..."

"That’s Ezra Ashenlocke..."

"The Phantom Rolls creator..."

"The new pistols..."

Yet...

No one actually approached him.

Which suited Ezra perfectly.

He preferred it that way, because the less attention people gave him...

The better.

The tour soon continued toward another district of the academy.

Eventually...

The students arrived before an elegant building decorated with large crystal windows.

Karla stepped forward.

Removing her Instructor Key Card, she gently tapped it against the entrance panel.

Click.

The heavy doors slowly slid open.

A gentle wave of warm air mixed with faint steam drifted out from inside.

The students quietly entered.

The moment Maxwell stepped through the doorway...

His golden eyes widened.

"Wow..."

His voice carried genuine amazement.

"This place is huge."

The spacious room stretched farther than he expected.

His reaction immediately attracted several nearby glances.

"Haha..."

One non-noble student laughed quietly.

"My family has something a little similar to this."

Although his words sounded casual...

His eyes briefly shifted toward Maxwell with obvious mockery.

Another student standing beside him snorted.

"What did you expect? He’s just a commoner."

A few nearby students quietly laughed.

More whispers gradually spread among those walking around Maxwell.

"Country bumpkin..."

"Looks like he’s never seen anything expensive before."

"Poor guy."

Several students chuckled under their breath.

Maxwell scratched the side of his head.

"...Did I say something strange?"

He genuinely looked confused, instead of being embarrassed.

He simply didn’t understand why everyone found his reaction amusing.

The Chess Center itself was beautifully designed.

Long rows of polished wooden tables stretched neatly throughout the room.

Each table held a gold-coated chessboard, while every chess piece rested perfectly inside specially crafted storage compartments.

Nothing appeared out of place.

Toward the far end of the room...

Small snack stalls sold drinks and light refreshments.

Comfortable lounge areas surrounded the windows, allowing students to relax while watching ongoing matches.

The entire place carried an atmosphere of quiet concentration.

Karla smiled as she gestured toward the spacious hall.

"This facility is primarily used by the Royal Academy Chess Clubs."

Several students nodded while looking around with interest.

"Oh..."

Henry Ashenlocke suddenly spoke while walking beside Bess.

"By the end of Orientation Week... We’re supposed to join a club."

Bess nodded thoughtfully.

"That’s right. I almost forgot about that."

The simple reminder immediately sparked another conversation throughout the group.

"Hey, Felix."

Page quickly caught up to him.

Her curious eyes remained fixed on him.

"You’re joining one of the Chess Clubs, right?"

Felix glanced at her.

"...Obviously."

His expression practically said there wasn’t another answer worth considering.

"If there’s a Chess Club...why would I choose anything else?"

Page laughed softly.

"I knew you’d say that."

Before the conversation could continue...

Another voice interrupted.

"Page Laverdale."

The Fifth Prince smiled warmly as he approached.

Page immediately turned toward him.

"Greetings, Prince Tristin."

She politely bowed.

Tristin’s gentle smile remained unchanged.

"You truly look beautiful in the Royal Academy uniform."

His gaze slowly traveled from her face down to the hem of her uniform before returning to meet her eyes.

His expression remained perfectly gentlemanly.

"Thank you, Prince."

Page laughed lightly.

"You’ve already told me that three times since yesterday."

"...Have I?"

Tristin tilted his head before blinking twice.

"I suppose I have."

A helpless smile appeared on his face.

"I simply felt it deserved repeating."

Before either of them continued...

Gareth’s calm voice drifted over from the front.

"We’re moving."

He had already resumed following the tour.

Lyra...

Tracy...

And Priscilla walked past Page.

The three girls politely bowed when their eyes met Prince Tristin before quietly continuing after the rest of the students.

Page smiled before waving once.

"I’ll see you later, Prince."

She hurried back to join her friends.

Their next stop was the academy’s enormous running track.

Its size alone left several students speechless.

From there...

They visited the football grounds.

Several practice fields stretched across the area, each one maintained to professional standards.

Hours gradually passed as Kent and Karla continued introducing the countless sports facilities scattered throughout the academy.

After leaving the sports district...

The students were guided toward the Administrative Center.

Karla carefully explained that the building contained the offices of the First-Year Instructors...

Various academy staff...

And finally...

The office belonging to the Head Instructor of the First Year.

Their next destination was the academy park.

The peaceful atmosphere immediately stood out.

Beautiful trees lined the walkways, their branches gently swaying in the afternoon breeze.

Stone benches surrounded small streams, allowing students to spend their breaks somewhere quieter than the busy cafeteria.

Many students quietly admired the scenery.

It felt less like an academy...

And more like a carefully maintained royal garden.

The Academy Medical Center came next.

Unlike the luxurious appearance of the other buildings...

This one carried a cleaner, more practical atmosphere.

Students quietly listened while Karla explained its emergency facilities and treatment procedures.

Finally...

They arrived at one of the busiest districts inside the Royal Academy.

This was where the senior students gathered.

The Club District.

Numerous club buildings occupied the entire area.

It also served as the meeting place where first-years and upperclassmen naturally interacted outside regular lessons.

Kent finally stopped walking.

Turning toward the students, he calmly folded both hands behind his back.

"This concludes your academy tour."

His voice echoed gently across the open plaza.

"Tomorrow’s Orientation will focus on your club registration."

He slowly looked across the students.

"I don’t believe I need to explain how important joining a club is."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"In addition... Those interested in serving on the First-Year Student Council must submit their applications by tomorrow."

Several students immediately became interested.

Others remained completely relaxed.

Kent quietly observed their reactions.

"Of course..."

He smiled faintly.

"Some of you have likely already been approached by members of the Student Council."

His eyes briefly rested on the Third Princess...

Then shifted toward the Fourth Prince...

Finally...

They settled upon the short brown-haired young lady from House Drake.

She calmly returned his gaze, her serious expression never changing.

Kent nodded once before continuing.

"And finally... The First-Year Welcome Party will also take place on the last day of the Orientation week. I wish all of you the best."

With that...

He turned and quietly walked away.

Karla immediately bowed politely toward the students before hurrying after her instructor.

The moment the two disappeared...

The atmosphere became lively once again.

Students naturally split into different directions.

Some wanted to explore the club district immediately.

Others hurried to greet senior members of their families.

"Vera...Let’s go home."

Still looking sleepy, Diane gently held Vera’s hand while rubbing one eye with the other.

Vera quietly looked at her.

Then...

Her eyes shifted toward Ezra, who was calmly walking away from the crowd.

Ezra immediately noticed the gaze.

He slowly turned.

Vera lightly waved.

Ezra simply looked at her with his usual blank expression.

Then...

He continued walking without saying a word.

Diane followed Vera’s gaze.

"Who’s that?"

She only looked at Ezra’s retreating figure for a brief moment before returning her attention to Vera.

Vera answered without hesitation.

"None of your business."

Her flat voice carried no emotion whatsoever.

Diane blinked once.

"...Okay."

She answered just as dryly.

Then...

Vera suddenly tightened her grip.

"We’re not going home yet."

Without waiting for Diane to respond...

She gently dragged her forward.

"Ehn..."

Diane lazily allowed herself to be pulled along.

"Lady Vera..."

Zack quickly caught up.

"Are we heading to the Student Council?"

"No."

Vera answered without even looking at him.

Her eyes remained fixed ahead.

Nina frowned.

"Those idiots didn’t even invite my Lady. Like who do they think is better than my Lady, that they invited someone else and not her."

She clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Diane looked surprised.

"Vera... Is that true?"

Vera glanced at her calmly.

"I never intended to run for a position in the Student Council. At least... not this year."

Diane tilted her head.

"But... They said there are many benefits."

Vera stepped a little closer.

Her emotionless black eyes met Diane’s sleepy light blue ones.

"Dear Sleeping Cold Beauty... The Student Council... doesn’t matter to me."

She finished speaking in her usual flat tone before continuing to walk.

Many students...

Both first-years and upperclassmen...

Couldn’t help glancing toward the two girls as they passed.

Their combined presence naturally attracted attention.

At the same time...

Ezra quietly stopped before a massive glass information board displaying every official club within the Royal Academy.

Since tomorrow was the actual registration day...

None of the clubs had begun recruiting openly.

Even so...

Several senior members were already setting up booths, arranging banners, and preparing the registration stalls they would use in the morning.

Like many other first-years...

Ezra quietly examined the list.

He wasn’t just searching for the most popular club.

Nor the most prestigious one.

He simply wanted to determine...

Which club would provide the greatest benefit for the path he intended to walk.